


Cabin Eleven

by mercurymotel



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Luke Castellan mention, Percy Jackson mention, it's a fanfiction in the loosest version of the word, it's based on the same premises as the books/movies, it's kinda an original work but the world building isn't mine, it's uncle rick's and for that reason it's technically a fanfiction, look this has almost nothing to do with the actual series, the only similar characters are the gods and maybe Chiron i haven't decided yet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:49:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24654850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mercurymotel/pseuds/mercurymotel
Summary: Everything seemed fine. Everything was working out okay because Sage had their best friend. But in the blink of eye, their world was turned upside down. And Sage would do anything to make their world look and fell normal again. But at some point, how far is too far?
Kudos: 1





	1. The Calm Before the Storm

**Author's Note:**

> Look, if you're expecting canon Percy Jackson characters, I hate to break it to you, but there is none. These are all OCs of my creation and I hope you give yourself the chance to fall in love with them like the canon characters!

“Mamá, what do you mean, you’re ‘sending me away?’ I can’t be that bad, can I? And I’m supposed to be leaving in a week?!” Sage felt their heart drop from their chest. Never in their life did they think their mom would get so tired of how difficult life was for the poor kid. The dyslexia on top of the dyscalculia on top of how everything seemed to go wrong when Sage was around. Actually, maybe Sage did see why their mom, Benigna, didn’t want them around. They just made her life harder.

Their mom’s actions, though, didn’t match her expression. “Mí amor, this is the last thing I wanted to do. But I promise this is good for you. This camp can take care of you and understand you better than I ever could. Ay, mi amor, lo siento. This is all I could do to make sure you were okay and it’s only for the summer. No te preocupes. And I didn’t mean for this to be on such short notice, but I didn’t know how to tell you, so I clearly put it off until you couldn’t refuse.”

Sage’s mother rested her hands on their shoulders and bowed her head so that her child couldn’t see the tears starting to pool in her eyes. Everything had been bursting at the seams for most of Sage’s life but never did it seem like everything would fall apart as quickly as it did. 

“‘Until I couldn’t refuse?!’ Ma, are you crazy?! This is insane! Couldn’t we have at least talked about this? Maybe I would’ve agreed on my own accord if you had just told me before you had decided for me.” Sage walked off in complete disbelief, feeling more betrayed now than they ever had before in their life. 

<><><>

Standing in the doorway of their room, Sage knew that the next time they came back, nothing would be the same. Their mom may have found another partner as she had been trying to do for the past few years, but to no avail. They knew their mom deserved to be happy, to be with someone she loved but did that mean “fixing” her only child? Walking slowly across their bedroom to the desk by the window, Sage had their arms wrapped around their torso, hoping it would give them some form of comfort. They knew their mom loved them but to do something like  _ this _ ? This was a different type of hurt. A type of hurt that Sage only felt when they thought about their father. Or lack thereof.

Sage never knew their father and their mom never really liked to talk about it. Anytime they would ask any questions, tried to gain any understanding, it seemed like their mom shut off. It seemed like whoever helped their mom bring them into the world was a terrible memory that should never be revisited. And from then on, until a few years ago, masculinity just wasn’t a necessary factor in their lives.

For Sage and their mom, life had been fine without a man, or any sort of masculine figure for that matter. So why, why,  _ why _ did their mom have to go and change everything up? All their mom needed a man for was to have a kid. And she already had one. A perfectly good one at that. ||

Although Sage always wondered why he left. Why did he leave a perfectly beautiful and hard-working woman on her own with a screaming child and almost nothing to her name? Were they not the kid that random man wanted? It didn’t matter now but it hurt nonetheless.

Packing their bags, they let their mind run wild as it normally did, but did not pay a single ounce of attention. Sage was so focused on getting ready to leave and ignoring their thoughts that they didn’t hear their mom calling out to them.

“Sage, Sage, amor, ya terminaste? Nos tenemos que ir! Apurate!”

Snapping out of their trance, they put the remaining touches into the already overflowing duffel bag on the floor, hastily zipped up the bag and threw it over their shoulder. Running to the door, Sage stopped in the living room and stared at all the pictures hanging up on the wall. This was the first time they were going to be leaving home and even though they weren’t going to be gone for long,  _ only a summer,  _ they thought, something about this whole ordeal felt off somehow. For some reason, they felt that this was going to be longer than a summer.

<><><>

New York isn’t the most scenic place in the world during the day. But nonetheless, Sage stared out the window the entire drive. Their mother couldn’t bring herself to talk to her child, afraid of straining their relationship even more than this surprise summer camp venture already had. But she wanted to try her luck anyway.

“Sage, I promise, this camp will be a great experience for you. You’ll be able to meet more kids like you.” She tried to sound optimistic but somehow, she made matters worse.

“What do you mean ‘kids like me?’ What am I that you’re so obsessed with trying to make this camp seem like a good thing? What is going on? Why won’t you just be honest with me?” Sage felt their voice rising with each question until they were almost shouting at their mother. They caught themselves before everything got worse but the questions still hung heavy in the air, waiting for an answer.

Benigna’s grip on the steering wheel tightened ferociously, knuckles immediately turning white. Her jaw clenched but she knew she couldn’t keep running from this, hiding the answers to their kid’s questions for no reason other than she was scared. Scared of what, she wasn’t sure. “Look, Sage, this is something that I never knew how to tell you. It never seemed like the right time or place or circumstance to tell you. And for the longest time it seemed that maybe, just maybe, you were fine not knowing anything that had happened before you were born.”

Benigna inhaled heavily and braced herself to come clean about all of Sage’s questions. Which wasn’t going to be easy.

“Your father was an amazing man but I never really knew him. I never knew who he was or what he did. All I knew was that I fell in love with him and had his kid.

He never told me where he was going but next thing I know, he was gone. And left the two of us alone.”

Sage remained silent, their face void of emotion or expression. Their silence seemed to be an invitation for their mother to continue talking.

Drawing in a final breath, their mother gave their child a last bit of information that was bound to raise more questions. All questions without answers. “Amor, he wasn’t like us. He wasn’t… human.”

“What do you mean he wasn’t human? What else could he have been? God?” Sage sat in utter disbelief. They couldn’t help but feel that maybe their mom’s long shifts as a nurse was finally getting to her head.

She heaved a heavy sigh and pulled a brochure out from the inside of her blazer.  _ I didn’t know she had pockets in that thing,  _ thought Sage absentmindedly. Regardless they grabbed the brochure their mom was handing them and began reading the oddly orange colored paper. The front simply read

**_Camp Half-Blood_ **

_ Long Island Sound - New York _

with a picture of a series of cabins in the shape of what seemed to be a horseshoe.

“Ma, you must be joking. What’s a ‘half-blood?’ If you’re telling me that I’m the next Harry Potter, I will lose it. ‘Cause it seems like you already have.”

Benigna didn’t respond right away because she knew that there was no coming back from this, there was no saving this. She thought it would be better if she stopped trying to make Sage see this as a good thing. Besides, there was no way she could properly explain what the camp was for.

The rest of the car ride was in silence except for the radio playing the “Top Hits of 2010.” And sooner rather than later, much to Sage’s dismay, they arrived at the mysterious Camp Half-Blood. At least that’s what they thought at first.

“Uh, ma, the sign doesn’t say Camp Half-Blood or whatever. This is Delphi Strawberry Service. Are you sure we’re in the right place?” Sage had been skeptical of this camp from the moment their mom mentioned it but now there was something ominous surrounding the whole thing. “I think we should go back home. There’s something that doesn’t feel right.”

Benigna was paying very little attention to her child but comprehended enough of what they said to respond distantly, “Mr. D should be coming to get you in a little bit. Don’t worry.”

Her response shook Sage to their core. Who was Mr. D? Why was he coming to get them? Why are they at a strawberry plant? Who was their mom just handing them over to? What is going on? 

As if answering one of their questions, a man in a Hawaiian shirt and board shorts came from the general vicinity of the strawberry plant. Sage wasn’t quite sure where he came from, though, because he just appeared a few yards in front of Sage and their mother.

This man appeared to be sipping… something… out of a coconut?  _ Oh wonderful,  _ they thought,  _ I’m going to a camp in a strawberry factory with an alcoholic who runs the camp. And I hate strawberries. _

“Hello Benigna. How’ve you been all these years? Is this your daughter?” The random man greeted Sage’s mother as if they were old acquaintances (an acquaintance Sage would know but didn’t since they knew all the friends their mom had made over the years and this rando was not one of them) and misgendered them in less than thirty seconds.

“Actually, I-”

Sage was cut off by their mother and addressed the dad-looking man. “This is Sage, they’re not my daughter, they’re my kid.”

The man stood silently, thoughtfully taking a sip from his coconut. “I really got to stop assuming things, don’t I? My apologies… Sage? Was it?” He extended his hand as an official greeting to the kid, who grew more anxious with every minute that passed.

Sage hesitantly gripped Mr. D’s hand simply out of politeness. They shook hands but no words were directly shared between the two.

Mr. D turned from Sage to their mother and continued to talk to her. Sage stopped listening and stared off into the direction of Delphi Strawberry Service, looking at the plant but not really seeing. All they could think about how scary this whole ordeal was. Once they started paying attention again, they had to leave. 

“Alright, Sage. You ready to head to your home away from home?” The weight of Mr. D’s question hung heavy in the air. “I promise, no matter how bad you think this is going to be, it won’t be that bad. You have nothing to worry about. This summer’ll just fly by.” 

His words gave Sage some sense of ease and relieved them of a little of the stress that had been occupying their mind for the past week. If it hadn’t been for the way their mother had gone about telling Sage about the camp, then maybe Sage would be a little more excited about this.

Sage grabbed their duffel bag from the backseat of the car and made their way over to Mr. D as the answer to his question; yes, they were ready to get going.

<><><>

“Okay, Moira, look. You may not have been claimed by any of those gods but, hey, you’re making one heck of a counselor for this cabin!” Sage couldn’t stand to see their best friend from the camp think this way about herself when those losers up on Mount Olympus were sipping their dumb wine watching all of this happen.

“I mean, I guess you’re right.” A silence fell between the two before a smile slowly crept onto Moira’s face. “A jack of all trades is a master of none but oftentimes better than a master of one. I’d rather learn all the skills that this camp has to offer than have to focus on one skill that my parents forced me because it’s my ‘birthright.’ You know what I mean?”

And just like that, the issue that plagued Moira (what seemed to happen weekly) was gone as quickly as it came about. Sage’s friend shrugged her shoulders and walked out of the cabin they shared with three other campers, almost skipping out the doorway.

Shaking their head, chuckling, Sage went about cleaning the cabin, humming to themselves. They couldn’t believe that last summer they thought this was going to be the worst experience of their life. But now, Sage couldn’t imagine another summer without coming back to Camp Half-Blood.

<><><>

The day passed like any other for Sage; learning skills, guiding the newer and younger campers, training, and just having the time of their lives. But there was a feeling in the air that they just couldn’t shake. 

A feeling that occupied their mind when they first came out to the camp. A sense of  _ jamais vu _ , impending doom, a sense of knowing, but feeling lost. This feeling worried Sage but they knew this didn’t mean that something bad was going to happen. 

They’ve gotten this sensation several times in their life and nothing super bad has come out of it at worst. Sage’s smile faltered, only slightly but enough that Moira caught it, even from the corner of her eye. “Hey, are you alright? Is everything okay?” She rested a hand on her friend’s shoulder and wore a concerned look on her face.

Sage couldn’t help but smile at their friend for her genuine concern. “Yeah, I’m fine. Everything’s going pretty good.”

And everything was going pretty good. Until it wasn’t.


	2. Sage Didn't Want to be THIS Upset, But I Hate to Say that They Were

A few days had passed since Moira had last complained about not being claimed. But it wasn’t long before she had gone back to Sage with some… different news regarding that same dreadful topic.

“SAGE! OH MY GODS! YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE WHAT I JUST FOUND OUT!” Sage turned towards the screeching and saw their friend running towards them, with a silver glow over her head.

Squinting to see what the silvery glow was, Sage could begin to see the look of excitement growing clearer and clearer on their friend’s face. Sage couldn't stop a smile from making its place on their face as well. They couldn’t help but feel whatever the people around them felt. Especially when it came to their best friend.

The closer Moira got to Sage the more the glow over her head appeared to take shape. 

It was a silver owl.

A silver owl holding an olive branch.

Athena.

Slowly the smile seemed to fall off of Sage’s face, soon turning into a look of quiet envy. They wanted to feel happy for their friend but they couldn’t help the rising shame and embarrassment that was going to come with Moira’s announcement.

With Moira finally being claimed, Sage became the oldest, and last, of the current campers to be claimed.

After Percy had made the gods claim their children by thirteen, things had gone more smoothly when it came to how long a child went without being claimed. Every once in a while, a demigod would slip through the gods’ fingers (some campers being as old as sixteen or seventeen before they got claimed) and Moira had been one of the unlucky few.

Moira had turned eighteen recently so it made sense that she had been freaking out about getting claimed. Sage hadn’t had a problem with it because they always had Moira to help them get through this.

But now… now things were different. Suddenly Sage was left all by themselves. Turning fourteen in a few short months, time was running out for Sage to get claimed by anybody.  _ Literally anybody could claim me and I would be satisfied,  _ thought Sage.

The closer Moira got, the harder that Sage had to force a smile on their face and keep the tears threatening to spill from their eyes at bay. Soon, with hands on her knees, panting breathlessly, Moira was right in front of Sage and Sage could now undeniably see the shape of the hologram hovering over their friend’s head.

They were right; it was an owl holding an olive branch. There was no denying at this point that Moira had been claimed. And by Athena, no less.

<><><>

After the original commotion had settled down, Sage went back to their cabin to silently brood while Moira became more acquainted with the kids from Athena cabin.

Suddenly everything seemed to be falling apart. Sage laid on the floor staring at the ceiling of the cabin, wondering what they were supposed to do now. Their best friend was leaving them for the group of people who probably understand her better than they ever would. 

Sage remained on the floor for a few minutes in complete silence, head empty of thoughts, only being interrupted by the occasional camper that would come in to use the bathroom. But otherwise, the cabin was empty and was going to become even emptier soon.

Too soon for Sage’s liking.

<><><>

“Sage! I can’t believe I got claimed! This is probably the best belated birthday present I could’ve ever gotten!”

Moira couldn’t keep her excitement contained no matter how hard she tried. She knew that Sage was probably having a difficult time seeing her leave but this was something Moira had been waiting for since she came to camp.

Sage was a year older than Moira; a solid nineteen to her eighteen. They would be turning twenty soon and that made Sage extremely nervous. How many demigods did you know went unclaimed at the age of  _ twenty? _ Especially with the rule that Percy had forced the gods to follow all those years ago? 

When Moira was six she came to Camp Half-Blood, more lonely and confused than any six-year-old should ever be. But she was welcomed with open arms (because she was literally a little kid or because she was new, Moira would never know and she never wanted to ask) and five years later at the age of twelve, Sage was given just as warm of a welcome. But as the years dragged on for Moira, she became more and more afraid that maybe she had come to this camp all those years ago as a mistake.

Sage didn’t seem to have that much of a problem with it because they always had Moira to brave this whole ordeal with. But Moira didn’t have that until she was eleven. She had spent most of her childhood watching the other kids get claimed, leave Hermes cabin, and be accepted by their blood family. Moira spent most of her childhood worried that she was going to be disconnected from everyone else because she didn’t have the bare minimum that everyone else seemed to have.

But today, all of those fears melted away. Moira didn’t care that she had been claimed at eighteen, she was just glad that she had been claimed at all. But she couldn’t help but feel bad for Sage. They were  _ those _ unclaimed friends at camp that everyone loved but now it was just Sage.

“So that means you’re moving out, huh? That’s so great! I’m so happy for you!” Sage knew that all they could was be happy for their friend because what were they supposed to do, tell Athena to unclaim them? The idea was slightly tempting to Sage but utterly ridiculous. “Athena claimed an absolutely wonderful kid.”

The pair hugged knowing they weren’t going to spend another night in the same cabin again. Both the Athena and Hermes cabins were filled to the brim with kids so sleepovers were never even an option.

Thoughts of all the years they had spent together in Hermes cabin ran through their heads. Sage couldn’t believe that Moira was moving onto the next chapter in her life and Moira couldn’t stand the thought of leaving Sage to be the only unclaimed demigod at camp.

Finally they let each other go and Sage waved good-bye to their best friend who was leaving for Athena cabin. 

<><><>

Sage sat on their bunk in Hermes cabin reading a book since the time they used to spend with Moira was now left empty since she started working the other Athena kids more often.

They weren’t too bothered by it though (that’s what Sage liked to think at least, because everyone knew that they missed spending time with Moira like they used to) because they were given more time to relax in a sense.

With the normal camp commotion going on outside, Sage didn’t notice when Moira had come into the cabin to give them some news.

Since Moira had gotten claimed, Sage spent less and less time outside and more and more time in their bed. And because of that, Sage never really knew what was going on, they were always out of the loop.

“Did you hear?!”

Moira barged into the cabin and her voice echoed in the cabin and visibly startled Sage. She couldn’t help but giggle at her friend looking like a deer caught in headlights. Sage’s brown, almost black, eyes definitely added to that image in Moira’s head.

Recovering themselves, Sage closed the book they held in front of them and turned to Moira, who stayed standing at the door. “You almost scared the life out of me so whatever news you have better be worth it, buddy.” Sage tried seeming stern but they couldn’t help laughing with their friend. Her laugh was infectious and one couldn’t help but laugh when she did.

When they both recovered from laughing at each other, Moira spoke, “Did you hear that Stephanie got claimed too?!”

With every word that came out of Moira’s mouth, Sage felt a weight in their chest grow heavier and heavier. Until they almost couldn’t breathe.

“Oh, really?” Sage managed to spit out, “who was she claimed by?” They tried to sound upbeat and happy for the kid but that meant that there was another person, another friend, that was leaving Sage.

Moira couldn’t contain how excited she was for Stephanie, “She was claimed by Ares!!” She couldn’t help but feel a sense of ease every time someone else had become claimed.

As Moira felt her weight getting lighter Sage felt theirs getting heavier.

The air in the cabin started becoming heavier too but only Sage seemed to notice. They hoped that Moira would leave soon so she wouldn’t see how hurt Sage was. “So that means she’s going to be moving out soon too, right? Well, I’m really happy for her. It’s great to see so many more of the kids getting claimed.”

Sage only said these things for themself. They were trying really hard to believe it was good for these kids to get claimed even if it seemed like they weren’t going to get claimed anytime soon.

And with that, Moira practically skipped towards the courtyard and the smile that Sage had been trying so hard to keep plastered to their face finally fell. Sage didn’t have it in them to cry or even feel that hurt so they reopened the book they held in their lap and tried to start reading again.

But they couldn’t seem to find the energy necessary to stay focused. Their head began to hurt and words started floating off the page onto the wall in front of them in a “Chamber of Secrets” kind of way but slightly less menacing. Only slightly less menacing because let’s be honest, words floating in front of you in any fashion is terrifying.

<><><>

After Moira had left Hermes cabin, it seemed like all the other unclaimed campers got claimed at the same time. Of all the new campers that started coming to Camp Half-Blood, very few stayed in the Hermes cabin for more than a few days. At that point, Sage didn’t mind that much since they didn’t have the time to really get attached to those kids. But they couldn’t help but feel hurt that everyone else seemed to have their godly parent care enough about them to claim them early on.

Several days had passed since Stephanie had gotten claimed, leaving only Sage and two other unclaimed demigods, Benji and Lulu in Hermes cabin. Since Luke (a Hermes demigod from Percy Jackson’s time) had turned on the gods and blamed his father, Hermes personally swore off having kids in fear that any of his future children would end up like Luke did.

Hermes didn’t mind leaving his cabin to unclaimed demigods though which is why there were so few demigods in Hermes cabin now.

The scene played out similarly to when Moira announced to Sage that Stephanie was leaving. 

Benji and Lulu got claimed.

Oh really? By who?

By Aphrodite!

Makes sense, they’re beautiful kids. I’m happy for them.

The only problem this time was, Moira noticed, was that Sage wasn’t as emotionally engaged as before. They seemed so absent. Which is how they seemed all the time as of late. Moira felt a pit of guilt growing in her stomach because she didn’t notice any change in her  _ best friend _ until the change was clearly dramatic. But what could she do? After she got claimed, she became incredibly busy. And Sage just… stayed the same. They acted as if nothing had changed but it clearly did.

“Hey, do you want to hang out and just talk later? Maybe after dinner?” Moira simply asked this question out of guilt, out of the obligation of being a friend, not anticipating what was to come later that night.

“Yeah, sure that sounds good. I appreciate it.” Sage’s words sounded empty to Moira’s ears but she could tell that Sage was really trying their hardest to seem positive with everything that was going on.

<><><>

This was the first time Sage had left the cabin they shared with nobody but themself besides required dinner but their unexpected early appearance didn’t stop the daily whispers that always surrounded Sage’s name.

Sage didn’t really care though. They knew people were always talking about them; not in a bad way but not in a good way either. People just talked. Not originally intending to leave their cabin today, Sage’s auburn hair was swept into a sloppy side ponytail and they wore a Hello Kitty robe to hide their gradually fading frame.

They were heading to the courtyard to see if they could catch a glimpse of Moira training with the other Athena kids just to see how she was doing. But on their way, some whispers really started to bug Sage. “Maybe if they didn’t wear that Jesus necklace all the time then maybe they would get claimed.” The senseless comment raised giggles from a small group to Sage’s left.

Sage couldn’t help but respond; “Well, you little jerks, my mom gave me this necklace. At least I can say that one parent will call me their own and not out of obligation.” 

The group of teens fell silent and looked at each other uncomfortably but none of them said another word. Sage turned on their heels back to their cabin, tears stinging their eyes and completely forgetting why they left their cabin in the first place.

Moira had missed the original confrontation and only saw Sage practically running back to Hermes cabin, dropping their coffee cup in pursuit of some form of safety and electing not to pick it up.

She dismissed herself from training and followed her friend to their cabin, picking up and dusting off their favorite cup that they decided wasn’t worth the time to pick up at the time.

Gently knocking on the unusually closed door and after hearing response, Moira let herself in knowing that her friend had been needing her for a long time but she neglected to address that.

Upon entering the empty, dark, silent cabin, Moira could barely make out a lump on the bottom bunk of the bed farthest from the door.

“Sage?” she called out, hoping that her friend would give some kind of response.

But Sage could only manage a little whine that sounded painfully like a wounded animal. And in a way, that’s all Sage was.

Moira made her way over to Sage and wrapped them up in her arms. If Sage couldn’t bring themself to talk, then that was fine, they didn’t have to. The pair stayed like that for a while; Sage laying limp in Moira’s arms while Moira rested her cheek on Sage’s head.

They remained in complete silence for what seemed like hours. All Moira could hear from Sage was their breathing, a light inhale and exhale, signalling that maybe Sage was asleep. And with that, Moira took that as her cue to leave Sage to rest.

Gingerly laying her friend properly on the bed and covering them with a blanket, Moira left Sage’s favorite cup on their nightstand and tip-toed her way towards the cabin’s front door. As she was about to place her hand on the doorknob, Moira heard a small voice,  _ one the couldn’t belong to Sage _ , she thought but they were the only person the voice could’ve come from.

“Moira,” Sage managed to squeak out. They were barely loud enough for Moira to hear them. She took a few steps toward their bed before they said something that stopped her in her tracks. “Am I doing something wrong?”

Moira could tell her friend was in distress but what could she say when she didn’t know the answer?

**Author's Note:**

> Wanna know what I was listening to? I wrote these chapters quite a while ago so the only songs I remember listening to are Fever Dream by Mxmtoon and Rock 'n Roll by Eric Hutchinson (give them both a listen, they're absolute bops)


End file.
